Thai children and young people are taking action on climate change, but their voices are often overlooked, their efforts underfunded, and their safety at risk, according to a new UNICEF report
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The report, Between Generations, One Planet, draws on consultations with more than 110 youth-led groups across Thailand. It finds that while young people are mobilizing communities, raising awareness, and advocating for solutions, they remain largely excluded from decision-making.
Many lack safe platforms, resources, and funding, while youth from marginalized or rural communities are often left out entirely. Some also fear reprisals when speaking out.
“Young people are not just affected by climate change, they are leaders of change,” said Severine Leonardi, UNICEF Thailand Deputy Representative. “They must be heard, supported, and protected.”
Thailand ranks 30th in the Global Climate Risk Index 2025, with droughts, floods, and heatwaves hitting vulnerable children hardest.
The new phase of UNICEF’s #CountMeIn campaign, themed Voices of Children, Action by Children, highlights youth leadership nationwide.
UNICEF is calling on government, civil society, and the private sector to fund youth-led initiatives, protect young environmental defenders, and create inclusive platforms for children and youth to shape climate policy.
“Climate change is the defining challenge of our time,” Leonardi said. “Lasting solutions are only possible if young people are at the center of decision-making.”
The report features stories of young leaders across Thailand.
Sirikarn Sengla, 18, a Mon ethnic youth from Chiang Mai, recalled a devastating landslide that cut her village off from food, water, and electricity.
Sirikarn is walking to the mountaintop, passing by one of the recent minor landslide sites.
“Now, every time we have heavy rains, I feel anxious,” she said. “But learning about climate change gave me hope. I want people to understand these disasters are not punishments, but challenges we must prepare for together.”
In Roi Et, 22-year-old Panpittra Phutorn, a member of UNICEF’s Young People Advisory Board, saw drought and floods destroy her family’s crops.
“We all contribute to carbon emissions, but we also have the power to choose actions that help the planet,” she said, noting her choice to wear second-hand clothes to reduce waste.
Panpittra is holding a sign that reads “severe drought,” highlighting the impact of climate change on her family’s crops
Khairiyah Rahmanyah, 23, from Songkhla, known as the “Daughter of the Sea,” gained attention as a teenager for opposing coastal destruction. “Even if I’m young, I live on this land and breathe this air too,” she said.
Khairiya Ramanyah earned the name “Daughter of the Sea” for her unwavering stand to protect the ocean and her community in Songkhla. Under the sea that appears calm, but marine life beneath the surface is steadily declining due to rising temperatures every day.//
“So I have the right to protect it. Everyone has a duty to defend safe food and clean air.”
